some vegtables would be nice.

[PepperElf]

well i think... not just the whole bad-diet thing... but giving in to their every whim...

sodas, candies... and not saying "no" when they cry for more, even when they've clearly had enough.

in my opinion they just don't encourage self control these days

[Buglady]

Makes me wonder if all the kids who were diagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder are just strung out on a high sugar diet.

Nope. I have ADHD and I was raised by hippies. All homemade/home grown food, no sugar, no preservatives, no food colouring, and incidentally, no TV. (No Internets either. I'm old).

The "Feingold Diet" (no sugar, no additives) was hyped in the late 70s as the "cure" for hyperactivity. It was immediately tested and debunked by several different studies. Physiologically, there's no such thing as a "sugar rush" in the sense of being overexcited and hyperactive, especially not in the short timeframe that most people claim to see. And while a small percentage of children diagnosed with ADHD do have food sensitivities, it is not that different from the proportion in the general population. Addressing the food sensitivities and allergies may help with the child's behaviour, just because a child who feels sick is going to be irritable, but it's not a cure for ADHD. (I have an allergy to red food colouring; instant migraine).

Honestly, I think a lot of the behaviour problems we see in kids have to do with parents who are overstressed or who don't know how to set limits, and therefore aren't able to teach their kids how to identify and deal with frustration. The other big possibility is that we are seeing them on a bad day - we only remember the bad examples!